Check out what’s new in the EB-5 world, where a team of securities lawyers are at work offering to help lawmakers understand complex legal provisions of proposed EB-5 integrity legislation. The group is called the EB-5 Securities Roundtable (the “Roundtable”) and is made up of securities attorneys who represent a broad range of stakeholders in EB-5 deals such as regional centers, recipients of EB-5 funds and lenders.

Anticipating more action from lawmakers on the EB-5 integrity front, the Roundtable has proposed technical language solutions to securities law provisions that may come into any final version of an EB-5 integrity bill. The group is aiming not to lobby but to serve as a resource to help lawmakers line EB-5 reform efforts up with existing securities laws, regulations and policies. Securities law is a very complicated area with its own universe of terminology. We think the Roundtable’s resource will be welcome by lawmakers, industry groups and others who have a stake in EB-5 reform.

One of the goals of the Roundtable, which Mintz Levin co-founded with several firms across the country, is to regularize EB-5 securities law practice. This is an important goal. EB-5 needs to be a more normative form of financing in the toolkit of lawyers. This starts with the securities lawyers in the field — gatekeepers of EB-5 in every sense of the word — giving sound advice to clients and promoting best practices.

Right now the EB-5 Program is still on the margins of the securities industry despite the fact that EB-5 financing benefits emerging businesses seeking capital across sectors, particularly in industries where construction and hard development costs are high. The Roundtable can have an impact as the EB-5 Program develops and becomes more institutionalized.